Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Up before the birds

Beep beep beep – hit the alarm button on clock radio, head still under pillow
Beep beep beep – hit the alarm button again – wrong alarm – its my watch alarm.
One eye opens – try to blearily focus on time on clock– can’t possibly be time to get up yet. I’ve only just got to bed.
4.30am
Damn, it is time to get up. It is still dark and even the birds aren’t up yet – it is early.
I have breakfast, get dressed and then drive to the gym, where I leave my car and start the run to Mt Taylor.

Distance – 14.7km
Time – 93.24min
Av pace – 6.19min/km
AHR – 144; MHR – 175

I follow the start of the BBQ Stakes run but turn left at the top of Waldock St and into Mt Taylor Nature Park. I follow the gravel road, walk over a style and run past a tank, I think, and then follow the gravel road around the base. It’s undulating but not overly hilly. I pass the first lot of steps up to the top of Mt Taylor and continue around until I come to a walking path that heads upwards. I follow this and begin to wonder why I am doing this – it’s steep and unrelenting. There are some steps further up though not many and then the top of Mt Taylor comes into view – a mobile phone tower and then a bit further up some other sort of contraption. The view is amazing but my calves are cramping! I have to wait for the cramping to subside before running down again and this presents its own problems – in parts its very steep and gravelly so can’t really run. Finally I reach the gravel road and make my way back to the gym for a shower.

It has been a long day………….

11 comments:

Lulu said...

I admire your discipline in getting up so early. I'm struggling to get up at 6 at the moment, let alone any earlier.

Tesso said...

Yikes, 4.30am. That's really just 3.30am!

I love the Mt Taylor run. Though last time I did it I ran back down a different way and ended up totally lost. Oh well, a good way to do a long run when you go out for a short one.

Unknown said...

I couldn't do it, CJ! That is, get up at 4:30a.m.....p.m is nearer to my liking!

Great to meet you at the track & I'll be back for more fun on Nov. 16th....see you there!

2P said...

Oh what a quintessential Six Foot preparation training run post... YES YES YES - I'll have what she's having....

Top stuff CJ.

R2B said...

mmm that post really sounds tiring!
Hope you pulled up ok and your quads are fine.

Jen said...

Nice work CJ. Particularly the early start. I'm sure your first coffee after the run must have tasted AMAZING!

CJ said...

Lulu, Tesso, trust me, I am struggling with the early start and it does make it a long day! And I try not think that it really is only 3.30am! That also means that I was in bed by 8.30pm (was 9.30pm)!

Lucky Legs it was great to see you - your enthusiasm is catching! Even I enjoyed track last week. Looking forward to seeing you again in a couple of weeks!

R2B, amazingly everything felt fine during and after the run (apart from the cramping calves at the top of Mt Taylor!). I even mnaged an easy 11km run this morning (day after) and will be going to track tonight.

Jen, its the thought of the coffee that keeps me going ;-) I think I had several yesterday!

And 2P, you're incorrigible! Don't tell me you enjoy this stuff!

Hilda said...

Well, yes it definitely sounds like it wasn't easy at all to wake up, but you are about to put on more hours a day just for running. That is great CJ!

Anonymous said...

why do you do this? because deeeeep down inside, you love it.

now that you're getting up before the birds, dazzle me by messing on a car.

Ewen said...

Hope the calves were OK running in circles tonight ;)

It is possible to run with one eye closed CJ - it's called 'half sleeping'.

Mt Taylor is a tough hill.

CJ said...

Thanks for the encouragement hilda - sometimes I need everything I can get just to get through the week...and this week was one of them.

ihatetoast, I do wonder sometimes why I do it! Guilt has a lot to do with it, plus the consumption of chocolate and other heavenly (transaltion: not good for you) delights! But you're right - deep deep down inside i do actually enjoy it! Oh my, what a sick puppy.......

And Ewen, I could've done with you at track tonight - yelling out how many laps I have left because I get confused!! Have I done 3, or was it 4, do I have one lap left or 2 - that was my inner dialogue while I was running the 3km! And my calves were fine!